Saturday, December 1, 2007

Cauvery water for the 72 newly-added areas of the city comes with an expensive rider: a hefty penalty for those who did not pay up in time. Consumers are not amused.As a 'beneficiary' of the new project which will deliver 100 million litres of water from the Cauvery every day, individuals should have paid the capital contribution by July 31, 2005, the deadline set by the State Government.In case money was not paid by then, penalties of at least Rs. 2,700, Rs. 5,400 or Rs. 8,100, depending on the site dimensions, will have to be paid, says the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).Penalty amountInterestingly, the penalty amounts to 54 per cent of the original contribution.'I did not pay the contribution because they had not even laid the water pipes then. My argument was that you can ask me to pay once you are starting water supply. I am willing to pay the beneficiary capital contribution but not the penalty,' said A.V. Shama Rao of Ramamurthynagar. (snip)